American Jewish Committee

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is an international think tank and advocacy organization formed to “combat anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, promote pluralism and shared democratic values, support Israel’s quest for peace and security, advocate for energy independence, and strengthen Jewish life”. Founded in 1906 after a wave of anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia, it is among the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations in the United States. It currently has local chapters in 32 American cities, 8 overseas offices, and 27 international partnerships with Jewish communal institutions around the world. This organization currently focuses on strengthening ties between Israel and the United States, promoting the Civil Rights of marginalized groups, promoting energy independence for the United States, and combating anti-Semitism by strengthening Jewish life. AJC has since headed advocacy campaigns on issues such as Holocaust denial, church-state relations, and ending the U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) engages in the following activities:

1.	Building alliances and coalitions with other marginalized ethnic minorities.

2.	Talking or lobbying political leaders on behalf of issues that impact Jews or other similarly marginalized groups (e.g. Latinos/as and African Americans)

3.	Organizing political action on behalf of Israel by publishing articles and opinion pieces.

4.	Send journalists, student leaders, opinion formers to Israel to encourage them to better understand Israeli perspectives.

5.	Note anti-Israel biases in global human rights organizations (such as the United Nations)

6.	Promote awareness of radical anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli groups (e.g. Hezbollah)

Funding
This organization is funded by contributions and grants, which are used for unrestricted operating expenses, special projects, building improvements and endowments.

In 2006, the Committee received a $2 million grant from the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation for their work over the next ten years. 

Overseas offices/international affiliates
The AJC operates a network of affiliated organizations:

Affiliated or AJC-instigated projects

 * Africa Institute
 * Asia and Pacific Rim Institute
 * Belfer Center for American Pluralism (source: AJC News Update #217)
 * Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
 * Commentary Magazine AJC's flagship publication.
 * Friedrich Naumann Foundation (source: AJC News Update #217)
 * The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (Source: AJC News Update #219)
 * Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Affairs (source: AJC News Update #212)
 * Latino and Latin American Institute
 * Lawrence & Lee Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations Berlin
 * Project Interchange
 * Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations
 * Transatlantic Institute Brussels
 * UN Watch Geneva

International partners

 * Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA)
 * Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)
 * Shalom (Organization of Jews in Bulgaria)
 * Comité Representativo de las Entidades Judías en Chile (CREJ)
 * Centro Israelita Sionista de Costa Rica (CISCR)
 * Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic
 * Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania (FEDROM) (Source: AJC Update 213)
 * Conseil des Communautés Israelites du Maroc (CCIM)
 * Tribuna Israelita (TI)
 * Comite Central de la Comunidad Judia de Mexico
 * Asociación Judía del Peru
 * Association of Religious Jewish Communities of Poland
 * Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Slovak Republic (UZZNO)
 * Federacion de Comunidades Israelitas de España (FCIE)
 * Communaute Juive de Tunisie (CJT)
 * Turkish Jewish Community (TJC)
 * Confederación de Asociaciones Israelitas de Venezuela (CAIV)
 * European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC)
 * European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS)

Principals

 * David A. Harris - Executive Director
 * Robert E. Goodkind - President
 * Shula Bahat - Associate Executive Director
 * Ann Schaffer - Director, Belfer Center for American Pluralism
 * Felice D. Gaer - Director, Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
 * Steven Bayme - Director, Contemporary Jewish Life
 * Noam Marans(Rabbi) - Associate Director, Contemporary Jewish Life
 * Jeffrey Sinensky - Director, Domestic Policy
 * Kenneth Stern, Program Specialist on anti-Semitism and Extremism, Domestic Policy
 * Rabbi David Rosen - International Director of the Department of Interreligious Affairs & Director of the Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding, Interreligious Affairs
 * David Elcott - U.S. Director of Interreligious Affairs
 * Eran Lerman - Director, Jerusalem Office
 * Beit Moses, Middle East Office of the AJC
 * Dina Siegel Vann - Director, Latin American Affairs
 * Jacob Kovadloff - Consultant, Latin American Affairs
 * Yehudit Barsky - Director, Middle East and International Terrorism
 * Jason Isaacson - Director, Office of Government and International Affairs
 * Aaron Jacob - Associate Director of International Affairs
 * Richard Foltin - Legislative Director and Counsel, Office of Government and International Affairs
 * Barry Jacobs - Director of Strategic Studies, Office of Government and International Affairs
 * Stanislaw Krajewski AJC Poland office
 * Andrew Baker (Rabbi) - Director of International Jewish Affairs
 * Roselyn Bell - Director, Publications
 * Deidre Berger - Director, Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations, Berlin
 * David Singer - Director, Research
 * Sam Kliger - Director, Russian Affairs
 * Rebecca Neuwirth - Director of Special Projects


 * --AJC Principals (July 5, 2006)-- Contains members found in other listings too.

AJC experts
Anti-Semitism
 * Kenneth Stern, expert on anti-Semitism and extremism

Energy Independence
 * Richard Foltin, director of legislative affairs

Green Building Efforts
 * Benjamin Tressler, manager of AJC’s Green Building Project

International Affairs
 * Jason Isaacson, director of the office of government and international affairs
 * Aaron Jacob, associate director of international affairs (Hebrew)
 * Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of international Jewish affairs
 * Emanuele Ottolenghi, director of the Brussels-based Transatlantic Institute (French, Hebrew and Italian)
 * Deidre Berger, director of Berlin office (German)
 * Barry Jacobs, director of strategic studies (Greek)

Intergroup Relations
 * Ann Schaffer, director of the Belfer Center for American Pluralism

Interreligious Affairs
 * Rabbi David Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs (Hebrew)
 * Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, U.S. director for interreligious affairs

Israel
 * Eran Lerman, director of Israel/Middle East office (Hebrew)
 * Rabbi Edward Rettig, associate director of Israel/Middle East office (Hebrew)
 * Laurie Wexler, director of Project Interchange
 * Jason Isaacson, director of government and international affairs
 * Shula Bahat, associate executive director (Hebrew)

Jewish Life
 * Steven Bayme, director of the Contemporary Jewish Life (Hebrew)
 * Rabbi Noam Marans, associate director of Contemporary Jewish Life (Hebrew)

Latin American and Latino Affairs
 * Dina Siegel Vann, director of Latino and Latin American Institute, (Spanish)
 * Jacob Kovadloff, Latin American Affairs (Spanish)

Legal Affairs and Domestic Policy
 * Richard Foltin, director of Legislative Affairs
 * Jeffrey Sinensky, general counsel and director of domestic policy
 * Kara Stein, associate director for domestic policy and legal affairs

Russian Jewish Community
 * Sam Kliger, director of Russian Jewish Community Affairs (Russian)

Terrorism and Extremism
 * Yehudit Barsky, director of division on Middle East and International Terrorism (Hebrew and Arabic)

United Nations
 * Felice Gaer, director of the Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
 * Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based UN Watch
 * Jason Issacson, director of government and international affairs
 * Aaron Jacob, associate director of international affairs (Hebrew)

Young Leadership Source
 * Rebecca Neuwirth, director of ACCESS: AJC’s New Generation Program and special projects, (German)

Contact details
National Headquarters: P.O. Box 705 New York, NY 10150 USA Phone: (212) 751-4000 Fax: (212) 891-1450 Email: pr AT ajc.org Web: http://www.ajc.org

Offices in:
 * Brussels, Belgium (The Transatlantic Institute)
 * Paris, France
 * Berlin, Germany (Lawrence & Lee Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations)
 * Mumbai, India (Asia and Pacific Rim Institute)
 * Jerusalem, Israel (Beit Moses)
 * Rome, Italy (Associazione della Stampa Estera in Italia)
 * Warsaw, Poland
 * Geneva, Switzerland (United Nations Watch)

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Africa Institute
 * Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
 * Commentary Magazine
 * Jewish political organizations
 * Pro-Israel lobby
 * Ruder Finn's work for Croatia
 * Arnold Rachlis
 * Lewis Lichtenstein Strauss

External resources

 * San Francisco Examiner Article: "Anti-Semitic and other religious attacks: They can't happen here right?"
 * Link Between Anti-Semitism and Racism
 * Anti-Semitism in America
 * The American Jewish Committee